Buffalo news

• Lawsuit prompts deeper look at Amphitheater battle

  28-01-2016 23:49 via wivb.com
  
  CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Even on a snowy January day, the amphitheater has a way of calling Chautauquans into conversation.
  It’s a sacred spot for many. Built in 1893, it serves as a place of worship and learning. The Amp has hosted Presidents, first ladies and legends. Every summer, it comes alive again.
  “It’s the spiritual identity. It’s the soul of Chautauqua,” longtime homeowner Brian Berg suggested.
  Understanding the lawsuit
  The institution’s
  
  Read more

• At least 14 possible victims of no-show plower

  28-01-2016 23:43 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- He missed his court appearance and now he’s in jail.
  33 year old Nicholas Watroba of West Seneca failed to appear for his arraignment Thursday on an appearance ticket for Scheming to defraud in the second degree. Watroba was terminated from his job at the Buffalo Fire Department last September, but sources say he continued telling people he was a firefighter as he collected money last fall with the promise of plowing snow this winter.
  The charges stem from two custome
  
  Read more

• Amherst doctor pleads guilty to illegally writing prescriptions

  28-01-2016 23:19 via wivb.com
  
  AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) — A radiologist in Amherst pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges related to illegally writing prescriptions for drugs, the third case involving a local medical professional in a week.
  Federal officials say Dr. Albert R. Cowie, 37, wrote over 200 illegal prescriptions over four years from 2010 through 2014. The fraudulent prescription writing eventually racked up $20,000 in bills to insurance companies.
  “The improper handling of prescription pills is like giv
  
  Read more

• Man accused of slapping disabled man in jail

  28-01-2016 23:16 via wivb.com
  
  NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) –The hunt is over in the case of a video that sparked outrage in Niagara Falls.
  22 year old Myquan Pringle turned himself in to Niagara Falls Police Wednesday, and he was arraigned Thursday morning on charges of endangering the welfare of an incompetent person, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration.
  He is the man police believe is seen threatening and slapping a mentally disabled man named Billy, who is well known to police. It was early De
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Cheektowaga restaurant set to reopen after reports of illness

  28-01-2016 23:06 via wivb.com
  
  CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) – The Erie County Health Department has turned up nothing suspicious after inspecting the LongHorn Steakhouse on Walden Avenue in Cheektowaga.
  “We really didn’t find any major violations just in terms of what their practices were in terms of food safety,” said Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein. “The food workers were washing their hands before they came in contact with the food.”
  Burstein says some customers and workers
  
  Read more

• Comptroller: 82 NY schools in financial stress, including 11 WNY schools

  28-01-2016 22:47 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — According to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, roughly 12 percent of New York’s school districts are in financial stress. Eleven in western New York fall under his watch.
  For the past three years, DiNapoli has been monitoring the budgets of New York’s schools, so as to help highlight schools in need of attention and long term budget planning. Of the 672 school districts in New York State — minus city schools in Buffalo, Rochester, Syr
  
  Read more

• State health officials confirm 5 cases of Zika Virus

  28-01-2016 21:31 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y.(WIVB)- The latest outbreak of the Zika Virus is putting world health organizations on high alert.
  Up to 4-million cases are expected to be reported in the Americas this year. There is currently no vaccine for the virus.
  Sate health officials have confirmed five people in New York tested positive for virus; they all contracted it while traveling abroad.
  There two cases are in New York City, one in Nassau County, one in Orange County and another in Monroe County.
  Erie County Hea
  
  Read more

• Buffalo 14-year-old perishes in snowmobile accident in Allegany State Park

  28-01-2016 21:17 via wivb.com
  
  OLEAN, N.Y. (WIVB) — New York State Parks officials say a Buffalo teen is dead after a snowmobile crash in one of New York State’s largest parks.
  Officials say Gabriel Brzezinski, 14, crashed his snowmobile into a tree after he lost control on Sunday. The child’s father and sister, who were with him on the trip, called for help from first responders, who rushed to the scene.
  Although first responders evacuated the child to Olean General Hospital, he succumbed to his injuri
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Colorado jail inmate bites off thumb, slides it under door to deputy

  28-01-2016 21:04 via wivb.com
  
  FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A Larimer County jail inmate bit off his own thumb and then slid it under a door to a passing deputy early Wednesday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.
  It happened around 2 a.m. Wednesday at the jail in Fort Collins. A deputy was conducting routine 15-minute checks in the high-security housing unit. As he approached a cell door, he saw something slide into his path from under the door. The deputy inspected it and realized it was a person’s th
  
  Read more

• Budweiser welcomes adorable baby Clydesdale ‘Mac’

  28-01-2016 21:02 via wivb.com
  
  BOONVILLE, Mo. (WFLA) — There’s a brand new resident at the Budweiser Clydesdale Warm Springs Ranch and he’s super cute.
  “Mac” is the first foal of 2016. He was born at 1 a.m. on Tuesday at the ranch, which is located in Boonville, Mo. There are more than 160 Clydesdale in the Anheuser-Busch herd, according to a news release.“Mac” was born on Jan. 26, 2016. Anheuser-Busch photoMac will live at the ranch and get his training there. The comp
  
  Read more

• WATCH: Blizzard of ’77 hits 39th anniversary

  28-01-2016 19:38 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The disastrous Blizzard of ’77 that buried Buffalo and its in snow turned 39 years old on Thursday.
  Twenty-nine people died as a result of the winter weather. President Jimmy Carter declared Buffalo a federal disaster area at the time.
  The storm was made fresh in the minds of western New York lifers in 2014 as the Snowvember storm brought frightening levels of snow to the area again, causing more than a dozen deaths.
  In memory of the storm, we attached a n
  
  Read more

• Inquiry finds many concert tickets are held for insiders

  28-01-2016 18:30 via wivb.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Had a hard time getting a ticket to a concert or sporting event? New York’s attorney general says that may be because more than half of tickets to some events are reserved for various industry insiders.
  Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the results of an industry investigation on Thursday. The inquiry was prompted by consumer complaints.
  New York investigators found abuses and practices that prevent consumers from buying tickets at affordable prices or
  
  Read more

• LIVE STREAM: AG Schneiderman holds conference on ticket industry abuse

  28-01-2016 17:47 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is holding a conference on a new report detailing abuse in the live entertainment ticket industry.
  APP USERS | Tap here to watch the conference.
  
  Read more

• Grand Island man faces four felonies related to December burglary

  28-01-2016 17:42 via wivb.com
  
  GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. (WIVB) — Officials at the Erie County Sheriff’s Department reported that they have arrested a man on four felony charges associated with the burglary of a Grand Island business in December.
  New York State parolee Jared Sander, 38, of Grand Island, was arrested after authorities say that they obtained evidence from his home linking him to the burglary..
  While patrolling in the area of Industrial Drive, law enforcement officers say they observed a window removed from
  
  Read more

• Sheriff: Buffalo man found with large bag of marijuana, Suboxone during traffic stop

  28-01-2016 16:48 via wivb.com
  
  TOWN OF MARILLA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Erie County Sheriff’s department officials say they arrested a man for possessing a large bag of marijuana during a traffic stop.
  David Olejniczak, 27, of Buffalo, was arrested around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday on Clinton Street in the Town of Marilla and charged with speeding, aggravated unlicensed operation and marijuana possession.
  A Sheriff’s Deputy approached Olejniczak’s vehicle and says he detected a strong odor of marijuana radiat
  
  Read more

• Disney on Ice is an international celebration

  28-01-2016 16:26 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Minnie, Mickey, and dozens of their closest friends are showing off their figure skating skills at First Niagara Center this weekend.
  This leg of the tour is called “Let’s Celebrate,” and the musical productions are based on celebrations around the world. Audience members will experience a Hawaiian luau inspired by Lilo and Stitch, a Mardi Gras parade inspired by the Princess and the Frog, and Chinese New Year inspired by Mulan. It’s a fitting
  
  Read more

• Buffalo PD investigating apparent mother-daughter murder-suicide spanning two states

  28-01-2016 16:26 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Police are investigating what appears to be a murder-suicide after a body was found in a North Buffalo home.
  Police say the incident involves a mother and daughter and spanned two states. Authorities in Cranberry Township, which is near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, say they received a call about a woman found dead in a motel room at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday.
  Authorities say the woman was 55 years old and had self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Buffalo Police were im
  
  Read more

• Barbie now curvy, tall and petite

  28-01-2016 16:12 via wivb.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Barbie’s got a brand new bod.
  Mattel Inc., the maker of the famous plastic doll, says it will start selling Barbie’s in three new body types — tall, curvy and petite. She’ll also come in seven skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles.
  The El Segundo, California, toy company will also continue to sell the original Barbie. For years, the doll has been criticized for being an unrealistic representation of a woman’s body.
  The new bodies are
  
  Read more

• Niagara Falls man accused of slapping disabled person on video turns himself in

  28-01-2016 15:43 via wivb.com
  
  NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — A man who Niagara Falls Police say slapped and harassed a disabled man while on camera has turned himself in.
  Police say Myquan Pringle, 22, was taken into custody Wednesday evening. In a video that circulated the Internet in December, police say Pringle was seen slapping William “Billy” Finlayson in front of a Portage Road Tops store.
  “The victim is not homeless but does suffer from both mental and physical disabilities,” says
  
  Read more

• Vidler’s falls short in Super Bowl commercial competition

  28-01-2016 14:46 via wivb.com
  
  EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WIVB) — A staple of East Aurora made it to the top 3 in a nationwide competition for an advertisement in the Super Bowl, but fell short of the top spot, which went to Death Wish Coffee.
  Vidler’s 5 and 10, a store which sells more than 75,000 unique items, was in the running to have a spot during the big game after submitting a video entry to Intuit QuickBooks’ Small Business Big Game Competition.
  Saratoga-based Death Wish Coffee Co.was announce
  
  Read more

• Kitchen appliance appears to have started Sunridge Drive fire

  28-01-2016 14:21 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y (WIVB) — Around 11:30p.m. Wednesday night, the Ellicott Creek fire department responded to a fire call in Amherst.
  An apartment in Colonial Pines Condominiums, located at Sunridge Drive in Buffalo, appeared to have caught fire as the result of a kitchen appliance inside of the apartment.
  According to fire department officials, there were no injuries in the blaze.
  News 4 will have more updates as they become available.
  
  Read more

• Orchard Park PD investigating threat at middle school

  28-01-2016 14:01 via wivb.com
  
  ORCHARD PARK, N.Y (WIVB) — Superintendent of Orchard Park Central School District Matthew McGarrity says a threat was discovered in a Middle School bathroom stall on Wednesday.
  Following the discovery, school authorities say they contacted police to begin an investigation. McGarrity says an additional police presence will be in and around the middle school as well as the district as a whole.
  Anyone with information on the threat is asked to contact the school during school hours
  
  Read more

• UB grad was 1 of 7 who died in Challenger explosion

  28-01-2016 13:17 via wivb.com
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (WIVB) — Western New Yorkers have their own connections to the ill-fated Challenger mission.
  The shuttle and its crew members were lost in an explosion that occurred shortly after the rocket’s launch on January 28, 1986. The explosion was determined to have been caused by cold weather that made ‘O’ ring seals in the rocket boosters crack.
  University at Buffalo graduate Gregory Jarvis was among the seven crew members who died that day. One of his
  
  Read more

• 30 years since Challenger: New voice at astronauts’ memorial

  28-01-2016 12:51 via wivb.com
  
  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — As families of the lost Challenger astronauts gather with NASA to mark the space shuttle accident’s 30th anniversary, there’s a new voice to address the crowd.
  June Scobee Rodgers — widow of Challenger commander Dick Scobee and longtime spokeswoman for the group — is passing the torch to daughter Kathie Scobee Fulgham.
  Fulgham — not Rodgers — will be on the stage for Thursday morning’s ceremony at the Kennedy Space Cente
  
  Read more

• Six dead in apparent Virginia murder-suicide

  28-01-2016 12:48 via wivb.com
  
  CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Six people are dead following an apparent murder-suicide in the Deep Creek section of Chesapeake, Virginia.
  According to Kelly O’Sullivan with Chesapeake Police, officers were called to the 2300 block of Wildwood Road around 3:35 p.m. to check on the welfare of a person.
  When they arrived officers found one person dead inside the home.
  Further investigation by police led to a home at the intersection of North George Washington Highway
  
  Read more

• Community members working to learn signs of human trafficking

  28-01-2016 05:20 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Across the country there have been tales of human trafficking; it’s even happening here in Western New York. Now, healthcare professionals are learning to spot it, in hopes of stopping it.
  “They’re on the front lines of being able to identify and see the red flags we’re talking about tonight,” said Tara Hughes who works with trafficked youth through the International Institute of Buffalo.
  Hughes shared real stories of victims who ha
  
  Read more

• Concussions becoming more commonplace

  28-01-2016 04:54 via wivb.com
  
  MASON CITY, Iowa – It’s a word no one wants to hear: concussion. Today in sports, it’s one of the most feared injuries.
  And concussions can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. The degenerative disease was found in former Iowa Hawkeye Tyler Sash, who was found dead in his home in September at age 27. According to a study done on Sash’s brain at Boston University, the former safety had a CTE level of two on a scale of one to four. Dr. Ann Mckee who conducted t
  
  Read more

• Students walk out of high school to protest confrontation

  28-01-2016 04:53 via wivb.com
  
  OAKLAND (KRON) — Students walked out of Fremont High School in Oakland Wednesday to protest a confrontation earlier this month between a security guard and student, according to a district spokesman.
  An Oakland Unified School District police car was damaged after the small group of students in East Oakland walked off campus to protest.
  The walkout by students at the school campus at 4610 Foothill Blvd. apparently was in reaction to a confrontation between a 16-year-old male student with a
  
  Read more

• Sprinkler demonstration proves benefits of sprinklers in buildings

  28-01-2016 04:48 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Flames erupted in two rooms in Orchard Park on Wednesday, but the controlled burn saw only one room get destroyed.
  The demonstration was part of a New York State Association of Fire Chiefs push to install sprinklers in new properties, like newly built townhouses by Ellicott Development.
  The local company is constructing nine new townhouses by Buffalo’s waterfront that should be done by March, and they’ll all have the sprinklers due to city requiremen
  
  Read more

• Curiosity surrounds Falls ‘going dry’

  28-01-2016 04:20 via wivb.com
  
  NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) –As if Niagara Falls didn’t draw enough attention, the possibility of diverting water away from the American Falls is catching worldwide attention.
  State Parks District Director Mark Thomas told a crowd of a hundred that diverting the water away from the American Falls is the only way to replace the 1901 pedestrian bridges to Goat Island. “So much talk over the last forty eight hours has been about the de-watering. That’s not the end that’
  
  Read more

• Judge clears way for Amigone Funeral Home to reopen crematory

  28-01-2016 03:33 via wivb.com
  
  TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Complaints shut down a crematory in the Town of Tonawanda in 2012, but with the help of a New York State judge, it will likely reopen soon.
  Much to the chagrin of its neighbors, the Amigone Funeral Home is free to reopen its Sheridan Park Crematory as soon as Friday. Neighbors are wary about if certain conditions set by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman have been met.
  One neighbor said since the cremations stopped in 2012, the smells have disappe
  
  Read more

• Facebook to expand beyond its ‘like’ button ‘pretty soon’

  28-01-2016 02:43 via wivb.com
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — It won’t be long before Facebook’s 1.6 billion users have more ways to quickly express their feelings on the world’s largest social network.
  After four months of testing outside the U.S., Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says that “pretty soon” six new emotions will be added to the social network throughout the world.
  Zuckerberg didn’t give a more concrete timetable while discussing the new feature with analysts in a conference call Wedn
  
  Read more

• Youngest Gronkowski impressed Buffalo Bills scouts at Senior Bowl

  28-01-2016 02:02 via wivb.com
  
  MOBILE, AL. (WIVB) — As some of the top collegiate football players in the nation head to Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl, they’re looking to impress their future employers.
  Williamsville native, and brother to one of the most prolific tight ends in the National Football League, Glenn Gronkowski appeared at the Senior Bowl with that very goal. However, the college footballer saw limited play in school outside the fullback role — one that sees less and less play time in
  
  Read more

• Unlikely restaurant pairings good for business, customers

  28-01-2016 01:46 via wivb.com
  
  GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. (WIVB) — When Baked Cupcakery opened on Westhaven Road nearly a year and a half ago, they were filling a culinary gap on Grand Island.
  Their call to the local sweet tooth was different: Fresh and local ingredients and monster cupcakes made from scratch.
  Their foodie philosophy matched their business philosophy.
  “You have to think outside the box,” said owner Jonathan Bondi. “You have to think about how can I make more money, how can I get bigger, the wh
  
  Read more

• Mayor Brown asks state for $1 million to boost security at City Hall

  28-01-2016 01:39 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is asking state lawmakers to help him increase security at City Hall.
  Security is not extensive at the city building, on the first floor there is only one security desk visible in addition to the information desk.
  Mayor Brown said there are other officers in the building but more security is needed.
  He met with the Governor’s Office and members of the State Legislature on Tuesday to ask for a million dollars to increase securit
  
  Read more

• Will 2016 be year for MMA in NY?

  28-01-2016 01:25 via wivb.com
  
  WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) — New York’s ban on professional mixed martial arts has been ongoing for 19 years. And in those nearly two decades, the Empire State has become the last one standing, the only state in the country that prohibits professional MMA fights.
  But could this be the year that changes?
  For the past six years, the Republican-controlled Senate has approved a version of a bill that would allow professional MMA in New York. And each year, it’s failed to even reach
  
  Read more

• Former nurse pleads guilty stealing pain meds intended for hospital patients

  28-01-2016 01:03 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A nurse who formerly lived and practiced in Buffalo pleaded guilty to federal charges here on Wednesday.
  Officials accused Leyla Samadi, 54, in June of 2015 with stealing pain medication intended for patients and injected it into herself. The investigation led police to arrest her in her current Maryland home, charging her with illegally obtaining controlled substances by fraud
  Police say she stole the medicine from patients of Sisters of Charity Hospi
  
  Read more

• Search warrant turns up guns and narcotics in West Seneca

  28-01-2016 00:16 via wivb.com
  
  WEST SENECA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Acting on information that there may be drugs inside a home in West Seneca, officers raided the home on Tuesday.
  West Seneca Police say they raided the Greenfield Avenue home with the help of Hamburg Town Police K-9 Units. Inside the home, police say they found a felony amount of marijuana along with drug paraphernalia and guns.
  Officers say they believe Matthew Weaver, 45, was trafficking drugs, and arrested him on charges of criminal possession of marijuan
  
  Read more

• Local veterans organization stands by Wounded Warrior Project

  28-01-2016 00:02 via wivb.com
  
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- The Wounded Warrior Project is in the hot seat, following a recent CBS report detailing the organization’s spending over the last year.
  According to tax documents, CBS claims WWP only spends about 60 percent of its budget directly on veterans.
  The Veterans One-stop Center in Buffalo has received grants from the Wounded Warrior Project.
  The President and CEO of the Veterans One-stop Center, Roger Woodworth told News 4 despite the report, he stands by the project.
  So do
  
  Read more

Follow @Buffalo_News_US on Twitter!